LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



%p ® m vi$l^Q. 

Shelf J8&&£S 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



Lessons in Language. 



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Learn to do by doing. 



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O 



LESSONS 



IN 



LANGUAGE. 



BY 

EDWARD GIDEON, 

PRINCIPAL OF THE GEORGE G. MEADE GRAMMAR SCHOOL 
PHILADELPHIA. 






PHILADELPHIA: 

Eldredge & Brother, 

No. 17 North Seventh Street. 



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TEmi 



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•o^o«« 

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1888, by 

ELDREDGE & BROTHER, 
in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
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■X 



WESTCOTT & THOMSON, 
ELECTROTYPERS, PHILADA. 



*- 



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A scliOOL-BOOK is One of the tools of the teacher. As" 
such it is invaluable for its suggestions and its assistance 
in supplementing work which even without it would be 
recognized as master- craft. 

No apology is offered for the publication of this little 
book. It must stand or fall upon its own merit as an 
assistant to the teacher of language. 

Intended mainly for young pupils, its object is to train 
them to use words of their own simple vocabulary not 
only in properly-expressed sentences, but also in oral 
and written stories and descriptions. It aims also to 
increase that vocabulary by a gradual accession of new 
words similarly used. 

No claim is made to originality in the arrangement 
of the matter. It has been made to conform to the 
requirements generally prescribed for children begin- 
ning the formal study of language, by a careful refer- 
ence to the most approved courses of study in the prin- 
cipal cities of the country. It is so arranged that it can 
be used in part or as a whole, so that teachers in any 
1* 5 



Prefc 



ace. 



locality can make it conform to their own desires and 
needs. 

Much of the work is suggestive. The amount of prac- 
tice that can be obtained from the use of the several parts 
of the book is almost unlimited. Teachers are advised, 
therefore, not to follow too closely the printed arrange- 
ment, but wherever possible to apply principles already 
learned to every oral or written exercise found therein. 

The fables of iEsop have to some extent been shorn 
of the quaintness of language so peculiar to them, but it 
was not deemed advisable to make a complete transfor- 
mation, for the reason that the pupil will experience less 
difficulty in substituting his own simple expressions for 
those oddities than he would if they were written to suit 
his own vocabulary. 

Finally, the book is not in any sense a grammar ; what- 
ever grammatical definitions or principles are given are 
the inevitable results of the inductive method applied in 
the numerous exercises. If " we learn to do by doing "— 
an aphorism as old as teaching— then this book, as well 
as all similar books, will be an aid to all who, loving, 

teach, and, teaching, love. 

E. G. 




LESSONS IN LANGUAGE. 



HX>>©<< 



SECTION I 




1. What do you see in this picture? 
How old do you think the girl is? 
"What do you think her name is? 
What has she been doing? 
What is she waiting for? 
Who will come to her? 
What for? 

Write a story about the picture, using all or a 
part of your answers. 

7 



8 



Lessons in Language, 




2- What do you see in this picture? 
What is the boy doing? 
How old do you think he is? 
How is he dressed? 
What do you think his name is? 
Where do you think he is? 
What do you think he is waiting for? 



Write a story about the picture, using all or a 
part of your answers. 



Lessons in Language. 



9 




3. What do you see in this picture? 
Where are they seated? 
What do you think their names are? 
What are they doing ? 
What is the puss doing? 
How do you know that? 
Give the puss a name. 



Write a story about the picture, using all 
part of your answers. 



or a 



10 



Lessons in Language. 




4. What do you see in this picture? 
Where are they? 
How do you know this? 
What do you think their names are? 
What are they doing? 
What have they been doing? 
What do you think they will do next ? 



Write a story about the picture, using all or a 
part of your answers. 



Lessons in Language, 



11 




5. What do you see in this picture? 
What do you think her name is? 
How old do you think she is? 
What has she been doing? 
What has she done? 
Is she a good girl? 
Why do you think so ? 

Write a story about the picture, using all or a 
part of your answers. 



12 Lessons in Language, 

6. Fill the blanks in the following sen- 
tences : 

The elephant is a animal. 

Sugar is _. 

The _=_ horse ran away. 

The cows give us . 

Butter is made from , 

Leather is made from the of animals. 

Tobacco in any shape is 

Our should be kept clean. 

Our hair should be 

Dried grass is called 

We should listen to our 

Our should be 



Two two make four. 

Flowers please the 

Playing in the open air makes us 

It is time to 

The weather is very to-day. 

It was . yesterday. 

I hope it will be to-morrow. 

At what does school open? 

When do you home? 

Is your kind to you? 

Are your older than you? 

Were at the flower-show? 

Was there? 

Roses beautiful flowers. 



Lessons in Language. 13 



A tulip . gaudy. 

I like trees; what does she 
I must home. 



7- Write short sentences, each containing 
one of the following words: 

1. 

Coal, fire, snow, rain, stove, leaf, bud, 
stem, flower, seed, fruit, rose, apple, tulip, 
potato, beet, onion, teeth, alcohol, drunkard. 

2. 

Clean, good, wicked, bad, grass, hay, straw, 
flour, oats, corn, tree, moon, sun, stars, 
globe, ocean, sea, cape, river, bay. 

3. 

Gulf, mountain, strait, isthmus, ship, boat, 
one, two, three,, number, shape, money, food, 
hungry, thirsty , this, these, that, those, were, 

4. 
Men, boys, girl, women, school, teacher, 
books, slates, pencil, black, red, rough, smooth, 
tough, hard, caffee, tea, butter, beef, mutton 
z 



14 Lessons in Language. 

5. 

Bathing, add, subtract, thousands, north, 
west, maps, streets, fire, water, triangle, 
square, circle, oblong, weather, color, vowel, 
spelling, interrogation, comma. 



8. Write three sentences about the plays 
which you have at your school. 

Write the words, My dear Brother, at the be- 
ginning of these sentences, on the line above 
them, at the left. 

Write your own name at the end of these 
sentences, on the line below them, at the right. 

You have written a short letter to your 
brother. 

Now write a short letter to your father about 
your studies at school. 

Write a short letter to your mother about 
your companions. 

Make short sentences, each containing one of 
the following words : — Monday, Tuesday, Wed- 
nesday, January, February, March, April. 

Make short sentences in the form of ques- 
tions, each containing one of the following 
words ;-=-Sunday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 



Lessons in Language. 15 

May, June, July, August, September, October, 
November, December, Boston, New York, Phil- 
adelphia, Baltimore, William Penn, George 
Washington, Andrew Jackson, General Grant, 
Abraham Lincoln. 

Write sentences or statements in the form of 
commands, each containing one of the follow- 
ing words: — dog, cat, boy, girl, John, Susan, 
brother, sister, Andrew, James, uncle, aunt. 



9. Write the following sentences: 

The father will bury his son. 

A sparrow will eat a berry. 

A bird sat on a bough. 

John made a bow to his friend. 

The fare on the cars was too high. 

A fair young girl was present. 

Ellen's hair is black. 

The hare is a kind of rabbit. 

Thomas broke a pane of glass. 

He had a pain in his head. 

A cruel man will beat his horse. 

The beet is a garden vegetable. 

He does not seem to understand you. 

The coat was made without a seam. 



16 Lessons in Language, 

A lady led the way to the church. 

Lead is a heavy metal. 

A girl carried a pail of water. 

The boy was sick and pale. 

The church-bells ring out a joyous peal. 

We should not throw the peel of any fruit 
on the side-walk. 

I did not see the book which you named. 

Ships sail on the great sea. 

The grass was wet with the dew. 

He did not pay me the money which was 
due to me. 

Mary could not climb the hill. 

They sent the sick boy to a sunny clime. 

Did you see him ? 

They sang a hymn in Sunday-school. 

What words in these sentences are pronounced 
alike, but spelled differently ? 

What is the meaning of these words? 

Write other sentences, containing the same 
words. 

Change some of these sentences so that they 
may be in the form of questions. 

Change some of the sentences so that they may 
be in the form of commands. 



Lessons in Language. 



17 



10- Make problems of each of the following 
arithmetical expressions, using concrete num- 
bers instead of the abstract numbers : 



1. 18 - 13 = ?* 


11. 27 -*- ? = 9. 


2. 12 - 6 = ? 


12. ? -+■ 4 = 7. 


3. 14 - ? = 6. 


13. 6 + 4 + 5 --= ? 


4. 3 + 9 = ? 


14. 16 + 6 - 7 = ? 


5. ? + 6 = 12. 


15. 12 + 24 - 6 = ? 


6. 4 + ? = 16. 


16. 25 - (2 X 6) = ? 


7. 8 X 8 = 64. 


17. i of 12 = ? 


8. 8 X ? = 56. 


18. * of 15 = ? 


9. ? x 7 = 63. 


19. } of 20 = ? 


10. 18 ■+■ 2 = ? 


20. i of 16 = ? 



11. Write sentences or statements, each con- 
taining all the words in the following line: 

1. House, gate, steps, door, stove. 



Write similar sentences for each of the fol- 
lowing : 

2. House, baby, chair, dog, hall. 

3. House, hall, steps, man, book. 

4. House, door, dog, street, horse. 

* Thus : " If I have eighteen cents and spend thirteen of 
them, how many will I have left?" 
2* B 



18 



Lessons in Language. 



5. House, church, street, alley, child. 

6. House, windows, door, garden, - flower. 

7. House, door, windows, yard, stable.' 



12. Fill the blanks in the following sen- 
tences : 



A rose 
Roses 
The man 
The men 

You 

He 

We 



. a pretty flower, 
pretty flowers. 

killed. 

__ killed. 



They 

I 

I __ 
I 



taller than 

_ stronger than 

_ going to the country. 

happy. 

ten years old to-day. 
ten years old yesterday, 
ten years old to-morrow. 



13. Fill the blanks in the following sen- 
tences, using this, that, those, or these in the first 
column : 



man 


honest. 


soldiers 


brave 


soldier . 


brave. 



Lessons in Language. 19 



boy studious. 

boys studious. 

bird sweetly. 

birds sweetly. 

flower beautiful. 

flowers fragrant. 



a noisy girl, 
talkative girls. 



14. The Boys and the Frogs- 
Some boys playing near a pond saw a num- 
ber of frogs in the water, and began to pelt 
them with stones. They killed several of them, 
when one of the frogs, lifting his head out of 
the water, cried out : " Please stop, my boys ; 
what is sport to you is death to us." 

Children, when seeking pleasure for them- 
selves, often cause great trouble to others. 

Read this story. 

Tell it, using your own words. 

What is the meaning of the words, pelt, several, 
lifting, sport, trouble? 

Use these words in other sentences. 

Write the story, using, as far as possible, other 
words instead of these. 



20 Lessons in Language. 



15. The Crab and its Mother. 

A crab said to her son : " Why do you walk 
so one-sided, my child ? It is far more becom- 
ing to go straight forward." The young crab 
replied : " Quite true, dear mother ; and if you 
will show me the straight way, I will promise 
to walk in it." The mother tried, but found 
herself unable to do so. 

Never require others to do what you cannot 
do yourself. 

Read this story. 

Tell it, using your own words. 

What is the meaning of the words, becoming, 
straight forward, replied, promise, unable ? 

Use these words in other sentences. 

Write the story, using, as far as possible, other 
words instead of these. 



16. The Dog in the Manger. 

A dog lay in a manger, and by his snapping 
and growling prevented the oxen from eating 
the hay which had been placed 'there for them. 
"What a selfish dog!" said one of them to his 
companions. " He cannot eat the hay himself, 



Lessons in Language. 21 

and yet he refuses to allow those to eat who 



can." 



We should not deprive others of blessings 
because w^e cannot enjoy them ourselves. 

Read this story. 

Tell it, using your own words. 

What is the meaning of the words, manger, 
prevented, selfish, companions, refuses, allow, deprive, 
blessings, enjoy? 

Use these words in other sentences. 

Write the story, using, as far as possible, other 
words instead of these. 



17. The Two Goats. 

Two goats started at the same moment from 
opposite ends to cross a rude bridge that was 
wide enough for only one to cross at a time. 
Meeting at the middle of the bridge, neither 
would make room for the other to pass. They 
locked horns and fought for the right of way, 
until they both fell into the torrent below and 
were drowned. 

What lesson does this story teach? 
What is the meaning of the words, opposite, 
enough, meeting, right of way, torrent ? 



22 Lessons in Language. 

Use these words in other sentences. 
Write the story, using, as far as possible, other 
words or expressions instead of these. 



18. The Hare Afraid of his Ears. 

The lion, being badly hurt by the horns of a 
goat, declared solemnly that every animal with 
horns should be banished from his kingdom. 
A silly hare, seeing the shadow of his ears, 
was in great fear lest they should be taken for 
horns, and scampered away. 

What lesson does this story teach? 

What is the meaning of the words, declared, 
solemnly ', banished, kingdom, silly, fear, scampered? 

Use these words in other sentences. 

Write the story, using, as far as possible, other 
words instead of these. 




SECTION II 




19- What do yon see in this picture? 
What are they doing? 
What are their names? 
Where are they? 
Where do yon think they live? 
What may happen? 

Write a story about the picture, using all or a 

part of your answers. 

23 



24 



Lessons in Language. 




:~ == ^^^^^i 



20. What do you see in this picture? 
Where are they? 
What are the boys doing? 
What do you think their names are? 
Do you think they are in earnest, or are 

they playing? 
What do you think will happen? 



Write a story about the picture, using all or a 
part of your answers. 



Lessons in Language. 



25 




21. What do you see in this picture? 
What do you think has happened? 
Where are they? 

What do you think the boy's name is? 
What name will you give the dog? 
What will the mother do? 



Write a story about the picture, using all or a 

part of your answers. 
3 



26 



Lessons in Language. 




22. What do you see in this picture? 

What do you think has happened? 

Where do you think they are? 

What do you think the names of the 
children are? 

What do you think the mother is say- 
ing? 

What will happen next? 

Write a story about the picture, using all or a 
part of your answers. 



Lessons in Language. 




23. What do you see here? 

What sort of a place is it? 

What have the children been doing? 

What are they doing now? 

Will you give names to all the persons 

you see? 
What may happen? 

Write a story about the picture, using all or a 
part of your answers. 



28 Lessons in Language. 

24- Write short sentences, each containing 
one of the following words: 

1. 

Multiply, divide, sum, difference, exercise, 
north, east, west, south, race, rapid, falls, 
watershed, commerce, domestic, foreign, ex- 
port, import, size, equator. 

2. 

Addition, poles, subtraction, climate, sea- 
sons, night, curve, enlarge, diminish, design, 
figure, outline, square, circle, oblong, pre- 
vious, triangle, simple, wheat, corn. 

3. 

Apple, pear, cherry, food, lungs, breath, 
breathe, stimulant, spelling, occasional, silent, 
dumb, whisper, talkative, correct, punctuation, 
memorize, pupils, obey, honest. 

4. 

Truthful, life, am, are, was, were, has, have, 
this, these, that, those, been, true, would, wood, 
letter, envelope, paper, address. 



Lessons in Language. 29 

25. Copy the following letter, first on your 
slate, then on a sheet of note-paper: 



No. 110 Chestnut St., 

Philadelphia, Pa., 

Dee. 24, 1888. 




^4 Csavfi€,€ ; 

fate dU^-Ml €ty£e4 €1 'MlMtZ 4t4&6 



Cy €iwt d^Je <tz<n<tz 



<wi€Z/u sz-nntti 



•7/ 



3 * 



30 



L 



essons in Language 



tfa <tzt%tz<i<n tested- 



44444n>ad, <anti t<e 



7 



H'tt <tz 



J 



<tZ4l&U<Z> <m/U 4Atd4> 



I <£a jtrie &U€zdze6 



'4JyWj ^ w td <a$>e>n <C€& 



£a 



tisu€, <c& <m 



<Z€ 



€€i4 



^nn^tt-e^ cs tzwi 



(J 




-aui 



€l$^€4^Msa£e 



€Z^<ed 



d-aw 



7 



I'mAd-aM,. 



Examine this letter closely. Notice where 
the date is placed; the address; the signer's 
name. 

Notice the form of the address ; the form of 
the closing. 

What is placed on the upper right-hand cor- 
ner? 

What four parts in the place ? 



Lessons in Language. 31 

On what street is the residence? 

What number? 

What city? 

What State? 

What three parts in the date? 

What month? 

What day of the month ? 

What year? 

On what part of the page do you write the 
place and the date? 

What do you find on the upper left-hand cor- 
ner? 

Give the form of address you would use in 
writing to your mother, sister, brother, cousin, 
friend, uncle, aunt, an acquaintance, a stranger. 

Can you give any other forms of address? 

Notice the body of the letter. 

Into how many parts is it divided? 

What is each part called? 

Does each part contain a new thought? 

Notice where the first word of the first para- 
graph begins. 

Notice w r here the first words of the other 
paragraphs begin. 

What rule or direction can you give for the 



32 Lessons in Language, 

place of the first word of the first paragraph? 
for the first word of the other paragraphs? 



Notice the closing part of the letter. 

What words are used? 
Where are these words placed? 
What other forms of closing are used in let- 
ters? 

What comes last in the letter? 
Where is it placed? 

Write a letter to your mother about a jour- 
ney which you have made. 

Write a letter to your cousin about a present 
which you have received. 

Write a letter to your sister about a book 
which you have read. 

Write a letter to your friend about a story 
which you have heard. 

Suppose that you are visiting a friend in the 
city or in the country. Write a letter to your 
brother, telling him what you have seen and 
done, 



Lessons in Language. 33 

The Envelope. 



STAMP. 



■n^n^id^^t 



c4 






Notice the direction on the face of the en- 
velope. 

Where is the stamp placed? 

Where do you begin the address? 

How are the other portions of the address 
placed ? 

What comes first? second? third? fourth? 
fifth? 

Draw the shape of an envelope on your slate. 

Mark the place for the stamp. 

Direct the letter to some one you know. 

Draw another envelope, and direct it to your 
uncle in Washington. 

c 



34 Lessons in Language. 

Draw and direct others to friends in differ- 
ent places. 



26. John, Charles, Lucy, Clara, mother, 
sister, boy, man, uncle. 

Of what are these words the names? 
Write short sentences, each containing one of 
these name-words. 

Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, 
New York, Charleston. 

Of what are these words the names ? 
Write short sentences, each containing one of 
these name-words. 

Stove, carpet, pencil, desk, paper, knife, ink, 
water, money, clothes. 

Of what are these words the names ? 
Write short sentences, each containing one of 
these name-words. 

All name-words are called Nouns. 
A Noun is the name of any person, place, or 
thing. 

Write ten nouns that are names of persons. 



Lessons in Language. 35 

Write ten nouns that are names of places. Write 
ten nouns that are names of things. 

Write short sentences, each containing one of 
these nouns. 

Make a written list of all the name-words, 
or nouns, in the sentences on pages 15 and 16. 

Make a written list of all the name-words, 
or nouns, in the stories on pages 19 to 22. 

The boy runs. The dog barks. The girl 
laughs. The baby cries. The kitten plays. 
The woman sews. The man hammers. The 
carpenter builds. The farmer ploughs. 

Name all the nouns in these sentences. 
What words in these sentences express action 
or movement? 

All words that express action are called ac- 
tion-words, or Verbs. 

Write two or more action-words after the fol- 



lowing nouns: 






boy bee 


girl 


rain 


horse cat 


smoke 


wind 


bird mouse 


gardener 


farmer 



Write a noun before each of the following 
action-words : 



36 



Lessons in Language. 



quarrel squeal 

play build 

break 



run 



pinch 
strike 
bend 



throw 
jump 
steal 



Write an action-word in each of the follow- 



ing blanks: 

The boy _ 
The clouds 
The man _ 



on a horse. 
_ over our heads, 
his dinner. 



Henry 

Cows _ 



_ to school. 

in the meadow. 



Make a list of all the action-words, or verbs, 
in the sentences on pages 15 and 16. 

Make a list of all the action-words, or verbs, 
in the stories on pages 19 to 22. 

In these stories or sentences what words begin 
with capital letters? Where do you find the 
capital letters? Where do you find the period? 
Where do you find the interrogation-point? 
Show where the commas are used. 

Write short sentences containing capital let- 
ters, interrogation-points, commas and periods, 
properly used. 



27- Write the following sentences: 

Dye the silk a beautiful brown. 
They thought the boy would die. 



Lessons in Language. 37 

James bruised his heel. 
The wound will heal in a short time. 
Washington was a great man. 
Coal is burned in a grate. 
Susan bought a pair of shoes. 
You can pare a pear with a knife. 
The way was long and rough. 
How much do you weigh? 
Will the farmer sow the seed? 
Does the woman sew a garment? 
It is so cruel to rob a bird's nest! 
A sail was seen on the bay. 
This house is for sale. 

The problem was too difficult for the pupil. 
Two men were seen to run from the build- 
ing. 

The seaman told a sorrowful tale. 

The cat has a long tail. 

Thou shalt not steal. 

I have a new steel pen. 

A lion is a beast of prey. 

The Bible commands all men to pray. 

The lady had a gold ring on her finger. 

Wring the water from your dress. 

Anna has a fur wrap. 

I heard a rap at the door. 

A coarse cloth was used by the tailor. 

The vessel sailed a westerly course. 

4 



38 Lessons in Language. 



What words in these sentences are pronounced 
alike, but spelled differently? 

What is the meaning of these words? 

Write other sentences containing the same 
words. 

Change some of these sentences so that they 
may be in the form of questions. 

Change some of them so that they may be in 
the form of commands. 

Make a written list of the nouns in each sen- 
tence. 

Make a written list of the verbs in each sen- 
tence. 

28. Write sentences, each containing one 
of the following verbs: 

Give, go, hang, work, love, contain, occur, 
write, read, spell, draw, cipher, make, strive, 
swear, swing, hurry, rise, train, converse, ex- 
hibit. 

Mark the nouns in each sentence. 
Mark the verbs in each sentence. 



29. Fill the blanks in the following sen- 
tences with nouns: 

may go out and play? 



The was burned this morning. 



Lessons in Language. 39 

are pleased with music. 

will call and see us to-day. 

The graze in the meadow. 

bark at strangers. 

bought a new book. 

A large . fell across the road. 

Are pretty? 

Large were caught. 

The of the oak was withered. 

A sat on a bush and sang for us. 

. may stay at home. 

A encloses the garden. 

The burns in the stove. 

can sew rapidly. 

takes music lessons. 

. will go with you. 



30. Fill the blanks in the following sen- 
tences with verbs: 

Farmers corn, wheat and hay. 

Butchers meat. 

Tailors . . coats. 

Bakers bread. 

A large bear by the hunters. 

The cars very fast. 

This poor beast food. 



40 



Lessons in Language. 



The carman _ 

The ship 

wind. 

The class 

You read good books. 

A rose a pretty flower. 

On a May day we all 

and green leaves. The sun 

Not a cloud . to be seen. 



the furniture. 

ashore by the fierce 

diligently. 



for flowers 
_ brightly. 



31. Fill the blanks in the following sen- 
tences with nouns and verbs: 

. her sister a new book. 

. home in great haste. 

his lessons. 



and _ 



to see the me- 



nagerie. 
Where 
What . 



The 



going? 

saying? 

sweetly. 

a dollar on his way to school. 

who . . in this house 



to the country. 

The on the express-train 

this morning by a collision. 

a letter to his friend, and 



him that his 



sick. 



Lessons in Language. 41 

32. Make a problem of each of the follow- 
ing arithmetical expressions, using concrete 
numbers instead of the abstract numbers: 



52 + 64 + 48. 




45 + 12 + 7. 




50 + 75 + 25. 




180 - 108. 


78 X 8. 


18 - 9. 


359 X 6. 


115 - 79. 


37 X 19. 


5X 11. 




12 X 12. 


25 X 48 X 40. 


9 X 3. 


150 - (6 X 24). 


36^4. 


260 -5- 5. 


84 -*- 12. 


(90 X 75) +- 30. 


350 hh 2. 




$20 - ($5.50 + $4.25 + $1.75). 


50 - (16 + 8 + 9 


+ 3). 


$5 - (2 X $2.25). 




$10 - (3 X $3.75). 




$50.50 - $35.75. 





33. The Hare and the Hound. 

A hound, having started a hare from his 
hiding-place, after a long run gave up the 
chase. A shepherd, seeing him stop, mocked 
him, saying, "The little one is the best run- 
ner of the two." The hound replied, "You 
4* 



42 Lessons in Language. 

do not see the difference between us: I was 

only running for a dinner, but he for his life." 

The greater the prize, the greater the effort. 

Read this story. 

Tell it, using your own words. 

What is a hare? a hound? 

What is the meaning of the words, started, 
hiding, shepherd, mocked, difference ? 

Use these words in other sentences. 

Write the story, using, as far as possible, other 
words instead of these. 



34- The Crow and the Serpent. 

A crow in great want of food saw a serpent 
asleep in a sunny nook, and, flying down, greed- 
ily seized him. The serpent, turning about, bit 
the crow with a mortal wound. The crow in 
the agony of death exclaimed, " unhappy 
me! I have found the source of my own de- 
struction in that which I thought a piece of 
good fortune." 

What seem to be blessings are not always so. 

Read this story. 

Tell it, using your own words. 



Lessons in Language. 43 

What is the meaning of the words, nook, 
greedily, mortal, agony, source, destruction, exclaimed? 

Use these words in other sentences. 

Write the story, using, as far as possible, other 
words instead of these. 



35. The Boy and the Nettle. 

A boy was stung by a nettle. He ran home 
and told his mother, saying, "Although it pains 
me so much, I did but touch it ever so gently." 
— "That was just what caused it to sting you," 
said his mother. " The next time you touch a 
nettle, grasp it boldly ; it will be as soft as silk 
to your hand, and will not hurt you in the 
least." 

Whatever you do, do with all your might. 

Read this story. 

Tell it, using your own words. 

What is the meaning of the words, told, gently, 
grasp, boldly, caused ? 

What is a nettle? 

Use these words in other sentences. 

Write the story, using, as far as possible, other 
words instead of these. 



44 Lessons in Language. 

36. The Shepherd and the Wolf. 

A shepherd once found a young wolf and 
taught it to steal lambs from the neighboring 
flocks. The wolf, having shown himself an 
apt pupil, said to the shepherd, "Since you 
have taught me to steal, you must keep a 
sharp lookout, or you will lose some of your 
own flock." 

The wrong we teach others may be practised 
upon ourselves. 

Read this story. 

Tell it, using your own words. 

What is the meaning of the following words or 
expressions ? — 

Found, taught, neighboring, apt, sharp lookout. 

Use them in other sentences. 

Write the story, using, as far as possible, other 
words or expressions instead of these. 



37. The Wolf and the Sheep. 

A wolf, being sick and maimed, called to a 
sheep who was passing, and asked him to fetch 
some water from the stream. "For," he said, 
"if you will bring me drink, I will find means 
to provide myself with meat." " Yes," said the 



Lessons in Language. 45 

sheep ; " if I should bring you the draught, you 
would doubtless make me provide the meat 
also." 

Read this story. 

Tell it, using your own words. 

What is the meaning of the words, maimed, 
asked, fetch, means, provide, draught, doubtless? 

Use these words in other sentences. 

Write the story, using, as far as possible, other 
words instead of these. 

What lesson does the story teach? 




SECTION III 




38, What do you see in this picture? 
Where are they? 
What is each one doing? 
What do you think their names are? 
How old do you think the girls are? 
What book do you think they are read- 
ing? 
What season of the year is it? 

Write a story about the picture, using all or a 
part of your answers. 

46 



Lessons in Language. 



47 




39- What do you see in this picture? 
What are they doing? 
Where are they? 

What do you think their names are? 
Where are they going? 
What would happen if the wheel should 
break ? 



Write a story about the picture, using all or a 
part of your answers. 



48 



Lessons in Language. 




40- What do you see in this picture? 

What do you think the boy's name is? 

Where is he? 

What has the boy been doing? 

What is the fox going to do? 

Why will the fox try to do this? 

Who will be to blame? 



Write a story about the picture, using all or a 
part of your answers. 



Lessons in Language. 



49 




41. What do you see in this picture? 
Where are they? 

What do you think the boy's name is? 
What has he been doing? 
What is he going to do now? 
Who do you think the lady is? 
What is likely to happen if he goes too 
near the water? 



Write a story about the picture, using all or a 
part of your answers. 

5 D 



50 



Lessons in Language. 




42. What do you see in this picture? 
What do you think has happened? 
What is the man standing up for? 
Who will see him? 
What will the captain of the vessel do 

if he sees him? 
Suppose the captain should not see him, 

what would then happen? 



Write a story about the picture, using all ox a 
part of your answers. 



Lessons in Language. 51 

43. Write five sentences about plants, roots, 
leaves, buds, flowers, seeds. 

Tell how plants grow. 

Tell what plants are used for food. 

Tell what parts of these plants are used. 

Tell what you know about the manner in 
which these plants are cultivated. 

Tell what you know about the necessity for 
cleanliness, bathing, clothing, the care of the 
teeth ; the lungs, breathing ; the advantages of 
pure air, the effects of bad air. 

Tell what you know about trees, shrubs, 
forests; the different kinds of trees; the 
different kinds of woods; the uses of the 
different kinds of woods. 

Tell what you know about the different do- 
mestic animals, their names, their movements, 
their uses to man. 

Tell what you know about the bones of the 
body, their names, their composition, their 
uses ; the joints ; the muscles and their uses. 



52 Lessons in Language. 

Give a description of places in your city or 
county which you have seen. 

Give a description of the route you take in 
coming to school. 

Tell what you know about North America; 
the United States ; islands, rivers, capes, moun- 
tains, lakes, etc. 

Tell what you know about commerce, ex- 
ports, imports ; river-systems, river-basins; races 
of men ; climate ; size of the earth ; the equa- 
tor; the motions of the earth. 



44, Cat, horse, chair, pen, bird, star, table, 
apple, book, dog, rat, clock, pear, ruler, cow, 
tree, sun, rose. 

How many objects are meant when you use any 
one of these names ? 

A word which shows that only one object is 
meant is said to be of the Singular Number. 

Cats, horses, chairs, pens, birds, stars. 

How many objects are meant when you use one 
of these words ? 



Lessons in Language. 53 

A word which shows that more than one 
object is meant is said to be of the Plural 
Number. 

Write ten nouns in the singular number. 
Write the same nouns in the plural num- 
ber. 

What letter has been added to form the 
plural ? 

In what number are the following nouns? 

Fish, dish, brush, church, glass, compass, 
box, tax, topaz, waltz. 

With what sound do they end? 

With what letters do they end? 

Can you sound the plural if you add s, as in 
other nouns? Try it. 

What, then, must you add in order to sound 
the plural of these nouns? 

Write the plural of each of these nouns. 
Write other nouns that end in these sounds. 
Write the plural of the nouns you have just 
written. 

Nouns that end in sh, ch soft, z or x form 
the plural by adding es. 

5* 



54 Lessons in Language. 

Hero, potato, tomato, torpedo, calico, negro. 

In what number is each of these words? 
Write the plural of each of them. 
What is the difference? 

Grotto, solo, canto, quarto, duodecimo. 

In what number is each of these words? 
Write the plural of each of them. 
What is the difference? 

Nouns ending in o generally form the plu- 
ral by adding es, but some nouns ending in 
o form the plural by adding s only. 

Write as many nouns as you can that end 
in o. 

Write the plural of these nouns. 

In what number are the following words? 
Wife, knife, calf, leaf, life, loaf. 

In what sound do they end? 
Write the plural of each of them. 
What is the difference? What change in the 
sound? What change in the letters? 

Nouns ending in f or f e change the f to v 
and add s or es. 

To this rule there are some exceptions. 



Lessons in Language. 55 

Write ten nouns ending in f or f e. 
Write their plurals. 

In what number are the following nouns? 

Lady, baby, army, sky, berry, cherry, 
city. 

In what letter do they end? 
What kind of a letter (vowel or consonant) is 
before the last letter? 

Write the plural of each of these nouns. 
What change has been made? 
What letter has been changed? 
What letter is used instead of it? 
What letters have been added? 

Nouns ending in y following a consonant 
change y into i and add es in forming the 
plural. 

What is the plural of — 

Day, play, money, toy, turkey? 

How do these words differ from the former list 
of words ending in y ? 

Nouns ending in y following a vowel form 
the plural by adding s. 



56 Lessons in Language. 

In what number are the following nouns? 

Mouse, goose, man, woman, foot, tooth, ox, 
louse, child. 

Write the plurals of these nouns. 
These nouns are said to have irregular plurals. 
Make a list of other words that have irreg- 
ular plurals. 

Take each of the words given as singular 
nouns in Section 44 (pages 52-56), and use it 
in a sentence. 

Change the singular jiame to the plural form, 
and use it in the same sentence. What change 
occurs in the sentence ? 

Some nouns are alike in both numbers: as, 
deer, sheep, trout; some are used only in the 
singular number: as, gold, flour, milk; and 
some are used only in the plural : as, measles, 
scissors, cattle. 



45- A book. A map. A pencil. A rose. 
The book. The map. The pencil. The rose. 

What is the difference between these expres- 
sions ? 

If I say, Give me a book, what book do I 
mean? 



Lessons in Language. 57 

If I say, Give me the book, what book do I 
mean ? 

What words cause this difference in meaning? 

The words a and the are called Articles, 
or Limiting Adjectives. 

Show me a picture. 
Take a peach. 
Can you ride a horse? 
An eye for an eye. 
Come and see an eagle. 
Be an earnest pupil. 

Which of these words are articles? 
Before what kind of a letter is a used? 
Before what kind of a letter is an used? 

Use a or an before each of the following 
words : 

School, lesson, apple, night, ice, word, bee, 
adjective, article, pupil, broom, adverb, army, 
orange, acorn, week, gate, lily, egg, eagle, 
plough, park, grove, onion, auger, hatchet, 
joist, elm, chestnut, antelope, elephant, or- 
chard, eclipse, errand, business, separation. 

Use each of these words in a sentence. 
Change each word to the plural form, and 
then use it in a sentence. 



58 Lessons in Language. 

46- A good man. A bad boy. A sweet 
apple. A fine house. A pretty bird. The 
honest farmer. The black clouds. 

In these expressions which words are articles? 

Which words are nouns? 

Which words describe the nouns? 

Words that describe nouns are called Qual- 
ity Words, or Adjectives. 

Take each of the above nouns and place 
before it five different adjectives or quality 
words. 

Tell or mark the adjective in each of the 
following sentences: 

John is a good son. 

An obedient son is the delight of his 
father. 

Mary is a studious, intelligent girl. 

Here comes a tall man. 

The dog is happy because his old master 
has called him. 

Green fields are pleasant pictures. 

Tall oaks from little acorns grow. 

Perfect lessons are expected. 

The first man. The second woman. A bet- 
ter lesson. The best writing. Two birds. Five 



Lessons in Language. 59 

dollars. The wisest, noblest man. Dear, patient, 
gentle mother ! A fine, large tree had fallen over 
the muddy road. 

Prefix articles and adjectives to the follow- 
ing words by filling the blanks: 

cows. 

. . sheep. 

trees. 

. flowers. 

. snow. 

. . desert. 

squeak. 

prince. 

president. 

. trap. 

* streets. 

. . houses. 

. . hail. 

. river. 

. mountain. 

answer. 

thorn. 

king. 

. sand. 

. . horse. 

Make sentences of the completed expressions. 
Write five sentences containing articles. 



60 Lessons in Language. 



Write ten sentences containing adjectives. 
Make lists of all the nouns, verbs and adjec- 
tives in the stories on pages 41 to 45. 



47. The boy plays here. The boy plays 
there. 

What words in these two sentences show in 
what place the boy plays? 

The girl came to-day. The girl came yes- 
terday. 

What words in these two sentences show the 
time when the girl came? 

The man ran quickly. The man ran slowly. 

What words in these two sentences tell how the 
man ran? 

Do the words, here, there, then, yesterday, 
quickly, slowly, describe a noun or modify a 
verb? 

Words that show how, when or where an 
action is done are called Adverbs. 

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives and ad- 
verbs. 



Lessons in Language. 61 

Use an adverb in each of the following 
sentences : 

Did Mary see her father? 

The bird sang. 

Charles received a letter. 

Henry read to his mother. 

The thief was caught. 

We arrived from Trenton. 

A lady called before you came. 

Were you in the city? 

The cat caught a mouse. 

He studies his lessons. 

In each sentence which you have used, what 
word does the adverb modify? 



48. In the following sentences name the 
adjectives, the articles, the adverbs, the nouns 
and the verbs: 

The dog ran there before he came here. 

Where are you going? 

Here comes the man who told me the news. 

You must not look backward. 

I promised yesterday to see you to-day. 

The praise was honestly given. 

Surely you are mistaken? 



62 Lessons in Language. 

There is a flock of wild geese. 

The captain was greatly mistaken if he 
thought I would give him too much praise. 

Probably you can tell the cause. 

The victim was wholly in his power. 

He spends his time chiefly in doing noth- 
ing. 

He has been very sick, and lately has be- 
come totally blind. 

Then you must go? 

I cannot venture out. 

The number of the stars cannot be told. 



49. Fill the blanks in the following sen- 
tences with articles, adjectives or adverbs: 

The wind blew 

. stars shine . 

birds sing . 

eagles soar . 

houses cost 



A child acts 

dogs bark _ 

The doctor was 



The soldier had a experience. 

An . expense was incurred in build- 
ing the bridge. 



Lessons in Language. 63 



The merchant was busy. He was 

engaged. 



The weather is . cold. 

the rain poured down. 

boys will listen to the teach- 
er's direction. 



50. I heard a groan. 

He has grown to be a man. 

He prays for his brother. 

The teacher will praise your efforts. 

He will wait for you. 

Your weight is greater than mine. 

The gentle rain fell all through the spring 
night. 

The reign of this king was a troublesome time. 

The bridle-rein was broken. 

An honest farmer will sell pure butter. 

A criminal will reach a prison-cell. 

The wicked boy threw a stone at his gen- 
tle companion. 

Birds fly through the air. 

A fir tree is a beautiful object. 

The fur of the white fox is valuable. 

Let us hire a horse and carriage and drive 
into the country. 

A colonel is higher in rank than a major. 



64 Lessons in Language. 

The fourth man answered, and stepped forth 
from the ranks. 

If you choose, you can help me very much. 

The cow chews the cud. 

Peace was proclaimed w T ith great rejoicing. 

A piece of bread was offered to the beggar. 

Have you been to see the menagerie? 

The wheat-bin was the largest in the country. 

The tail of the animal was three feet long. 

The stranger told a tale of misery and suf- 
fering. 

The mail train was behind time. 

The male bird had his wing broken. 

The carter will haul the goods to the town- 
hall. 

In these sentences what words are pronounced 
alike, but spelled differently? 

What does each of these words mean? 

Use them in other sentences. 

Name the nouns, the verbs, the articles, the 
adjectives, and the adverbs in each sentence. 

Write each of the foregoing sentences in the 
form of a question. 

Change the verb in some of them to the plu- 
ral form, and change the subject to agree. 

Change some of the subjects to the plural form, 
and see if any change will be required in the verb. 
Read the sentence with the verb changed. 



Lessons in Language. 65 

51. In the fables on pages 41 to 45 change 
the singular nouns to the plural form, and 
change the verb to agree when necessary. 

Use one or more adjectives before each of 
the nouns in these fables. 

Use one or more adverbs in the same fables, 
if you can. 



52. Use each of the following words in a 
sentence : 

House, field, farmer, glad, children, home, 
play, come, shadows, trees, day, night, ex- 
ceedingly, occurrence, noticed, dog, unexpected, 
working. 

Use any two of them in a sentence. 
Use any three of them in a sentence. 
Use any four of them in a sentence. 

Write a story about a visit to the country, 
and use all of these words in it if you can. 



53. Make arithmetical questions, each con- 
taining all or a part of the numbers and 
expressions in each of the following lines : 

6* E 



66 Lessons in Language. 

4 gallons, quarts, pints, gills. 

8 bushels, pecks, quarts, pints. 

20 tons, hundredweights, pounds, ounces. 

5 years, days, hours, minutes, seconds. 
20 centuries, years. 

15 years, months. 

20 months, weeks, days. 

400 gills, gallons, quarts, pints. 

200 pints, bushels, pecks, quarts. 

12,000 seconds, hours, minutes. 

12 lbs. sugar, 7 cts. a pound. 

6 lbs. soap, 8 cts. a pound. 

4 lbs. coffee, 28 cts. a pound. 
$2.17, sugar 7 cts. a pound. 
.50 cents, soap 5 cts. a pound. 
$1.25, coffee 25 cts. a pound. 



54. In writing letters, strangers should be 
addressed as Sir, Madam, Reverend Sir, Col- 
onel, etc.; acquaintances should be addressed 
Dear Sir, Dear Madam, etc.; friends should be 
addressed My dear Sir, My dear Madam, etc. 

Write a letter to a stranger about business 
or information. 

Write letters to acquaintances about your 
school, your residence, your city. 



Lessons in Language. 67 



Write letters to friends or relatives about 
your play, your books, your visits. 

Write letters to your mother about your 
companions, your studies. 



55. The Fir Tree and the Bramble. 

A fir tree said boastingly to the bramble, 
" You are useful for nothing at all, while I am 
everywhere used for roofs and houses." The 
bramble made answer : " You poor creature ! if 
you would only call to mind the axes and saws 
which are about to hew you down, you would 
have reason to wish that you had grown up a 
bramble, and not a fir tree." 

Poverty without care is better than riches 
with it. 

Read this story. 

Tell it in your own words. 

What is the meaning of the words or expres- 
sions, boastingly, useful , made answer, creature, 
call to mind, hew, reason? 

Use them in other sentences of your own. 

Write the story, using, as far as possible, other 
words or expressions in place of these. 



68 Lessons in Language. 



56. The Fly and the Bull. 

A fly that had been buzzing about the head 
of a bull at length settled himself down upon 
his horn, and begged his pardon for incommod- 
ing him. " But/' said he, " if my weight incon- 
veniences you at all, pray say so, and I will be 
off in a moment." " Oh, never trouble your 
head about that," said the bull, a for 'tis all 
one to me whether you go or stay; and, to 
tell the truth, I did not know you were there." 

The smaller the mind, the greater the con- 
ceit. 

Read this story. 

Tell it in your own words. 

What is the meaning of the words, buzzing, 
settled, begged, pardon, inconvenience, incommoding, 
pray, trouble ? 

Use these words in other sentences. 

Write the story, using, as far as possible, other 
words in place of these. 



57- The Crow and the Pitcher. 

A crow perishing with thirst saw a pitcher, 
and, hoping to -find water, flew to it with great 
delight. When he reached, it he discovered, to 



Lessons in Language. 69 



his grief, that it contained so little water that 
he could not possibly get at it. He tried 
every way he could think of to reach the 
water, but all his efforts were in vain. At last 
he collected as many stones as he could carry, 
and dropped them, one by one, with his beak, 
into the pitcher, until he brought the water 
within his reach, and thus saved his life. 
Necessity is the parent of invention. 

Read the story. 

Tell it, using your own words. 

What is the meaning of the words, perishing, 
thirst, hoping, delight, discovered, grief, contained, 
possibly, efforts, at last, collected, beak? 

Use these words in other sentences. 

Write the story, using, as far as possible, other 
words or expressions in place of these. 



58. The Monkey and the Cat. 

A monkey and a cat lived in the same fam- 
ily, and it was hard to tell which was the 
greatest thief. One day, as they were roaming 
about together, they spied some chestnuts roast- 
ing in the ashes. " Come," said the cunning 
monkey ; " we shall not go without our dinner 
to-day. Your claws are better than mine for 



70 Lessons in Language. 



the purpose: you pull them out of the hot 
ashes, and you shall have half." Pussy pulled 
them out one by one, burning her claws very 
much in doing so. When she had stolen them 
all, she found that the monkey had eaten every 
one. 

A thief cannot be trusted even by another 
thief. 

Read the story. 

Tell it, using your own words. 

What is the meaning of the words, lived, 
family, hard, thief, roaming, spied, cunning, 
purpose, pull, stolen, found? 

Use these words in other sentences. 

Write the story, using, as far as possible, other 
words or expressions in place of these. 



59. The Stag and the Fawn. 

A stag, grown old and mischievous, was 
stamping with his foot and bellowing so ter- 
ribly that the whole herd quaked for fear 
of him. 

A little fawn, coming up, said to him, " Pray, 
what is the reason that you, who are so formi- 
dable at all other times, should be ready to fly 



Lessons in Language. 71 

out of your skin for fear, if you only hear the 
cry of the hounds?" 

"What you say is true," replied the stag, 
" though I know not how to account for it. I 
am indeed vigorous and able, and often resolve 
that nothing shall ever make me afraid ; but, 
alas ! I no sooner hear the voice of a hound 
but my spirits fail me, and I cannot help mak- 
ing off as fast as my legs can carry me." 

The greatest braggers are the greatest cow- 
ards. 

Read this story. 

Tell it, using your own words. 

What is the meaning of the words, mischievous, 
stamping, bellowing, terribly, herd, quaked, reason, 
formidable, ready, replied, account, vigorous, resolve, 
spirits, making off? 

Use these words in other sentences. 

Write the story, using, as far as possible, other 
words or expressions in place of these. 




SECTION IV 




60. What do you see in this picture? 
What time of the year is it? 
Why do you think so ? 
Where have they been? 
What are they looking for? 
What time of the day is it ? 
Why do you think so? 



Write a story about the picture, using all or a 
part of your answers. 

72 



Lessons in Language. 



73 




61- What do you see in this picture? 
What names will you give them? 
How old do you think they are? 
What do you think they are doing? 
Why do you think so? 
Which one is the captain, or leader? 
Who are the soldiers? 



Write a story about the picture, using all or a 

part of your answers. 

7 



74 



Lessons in Language. 




62. What do you see in this picture? 
Where are they? 
How do you know this? 
What has happened? 
Who are frightened? 
Where do you think the vessel is going? 
Who do you think are on board of the 
vessel ? 

Write a story about the picture, using all or a 
part of your answers. 



Lessons in Language, 



75 




63- What do you see in this picture? 
What are they doing? 
Where are they? 
Give a name to each of them. 
Where do you think the boy with the 

basket has been? 
What do you think he is waiting for? 
What might happen? 

Write a story about the picture, using all or a 
part of your answers. 



76 



Lessons in Language. 




64- What do you see in this picture? 
What are they doing? 
What names will you give to the driver 

and to the passengers? 
How old do you think they are? 
What do you think the girls are saying? 
What do you think the driver is telling 

them? 
Will they go far? 

Write a story about the picture, using all or a 
part of your answers. 



Lessons in Language. 77 

65. Give an oral or written description of 
the following: 

The river nearest your school-house. 
The neighboring villages or towns. 
The churches that you have seen. 
The places of interest near your residence. 
The railroad nearest your home. 

Give a similar description of a mountain, a 
range of mountains, a valley, an island, a 
lake, a cape, an ocean, a city. 

Give a description of the surface of the coun- 
try where you live, of its climate, of its pro- 
ductions, of its inhabitants. 

Tell or write what you know about beasts, 
birds, reptiles, fishes, shell-fish, insects. 

Give an example of each, and tell or write 
what you know about its structure and its 
habits. 

Tell or write what you know about the 
senses, naming them and giving the organ 
of each of them. 

Tell or write how you would take care of 
each of these organs ; how you would strengthen 
them ; how you could weaken or destroy them. 



78 Lessons in Language. 



Tell or write what you know about the ef- 
fect of the use of tobacco on the human system. 

Tell or write what you know about the ef- 
fect of the use of alcohol on the human system. 



66. Letter-Writing-, 

Copy the following forms of address: 

Sir. Madam. 

Sirs. Dear Madam. 

Dear Sir. Ladies. 

My dear Sir. Friend. 

Dear Mother. Dear Friend. 

Dear Brother. My dear Friend. 

The form of address should accord with the 
character of the intimacy between the parties. 

Copy the following forms of subscription: 
Yours. 

Yours truly. 
Very truly yours. 
Respectfully. 
Yours respectfully. 



Lessons in Language. 79 

Sincerely yours. 

Your friend. 

Your obedient servant. 

Affectionately . 

Your affectionate friend. 

Your loving son. 

Lovingly. 

Yours with esteem. 

Yours as ever. 

The form of subscription, like the form of 
address, varies with the intimacy of the parties. 

The ordinary titles— Mr., Miss, Mrs., Mas- 
ter — should always be used, unless the party 
has a more distinctive title. 

Messrs. and Misses are plural forms of Mr. 
and Miss. 

The title Esq., if used at all, should never be 
used with Mr. 

Hon., contraction for Honorable, is the proper 
title for Congressmen, Senators, mayors, judges, 
heads of national departments of government. 

Physicians have the titles Dr. and M. D. 
Both should not be used in the same address. 

Clergymen have the title Rev. for rever- 
end, or Rev. Dr. for reverend doctor. 



80 Lessons in Language. 



Write letters about the following subjects: 

Where and how you spent your summer 
vacation. 

About your Christmas holidays. 

About your school duties. 

About your sports. 

About your books. 

About your visit to the museum. 

About your friends and acquaintances. 

Address these letters to any one of the fol- 
lowing parties : 

Your mother, sister, uncle, aunt, teacher, 
friend. 

Write a letter to a merchant asking him 
for a situation. 

Write a letter to a grocer asking him to 
send goods. 

Write a letter to a mechanic asking him 
to come and see you on business. 



67- The hat belonging to John. 
The dress belonging to Mary. 
The horse belonging to the farmer 



Lessons in Language. 81 

Who owns the hat? 
Who owns the dress? 
Who owns the horse? 

Can you write these expressions in another 
form, so that they will mean the same thing? 

Do you write John hat, or John's hat? 
Do you write Mary dress, or Mary's dress? 

Notice the difference between John hat and 
John's hat. 

What letter have you added? 
What else is added? 

The 9 that is added is called an apostrophe, 
and the ' and s together, or the 9 alone, make 
the possessive form. 

Change the following expressions to the pos- 
sessive form: 

The shoe belonging to Henry. 
The ring belonging to Ellen. 
The tooth of the dog. 
The book of the girl. 
The nest of the bird. 



A boy's shoes. Boys' shoes. 

A cat's claws. Cats' claws. 



82 Lessons in Language. 

A girl's hat. Girls' hats. 

A man's coat. Men's coats. 

A woman's work. Women's work. 

A child's love. Children's love. 

In what number are the words boy's, cat's, 
girl's, man's, woman's, child's, in the first col- 
umn ? 

In what number are the words boys', cats', 
girls', men's, women's, children's, in the second 
column ? 

What is the difference between the forms in the 
first column and the corresponding forms in the 
second column? 



Singular nouns and plural nouns not ending 
in s make the possessive form by adding the 
9 and s. 

Plural nouns ending in s make the possess- 
ive form by adding the ' only. 

Write the possessive form, singular and plu- 
ral, of the following nouns : 

dog blacksmith judge 

cat horse ox 

scholar deer thief 

teacher woman house 



Lessons in Language. 



city 


sparrow 


school 


town 


gentleman 


lady 


wife 


robin 


dunce 


mother 


lion 


cup 


fox 


soldier 


policeman 


child 


sailor 


calf 


ship 


dwarf 


boat 


sheep 


officer 


farmer 


aunt 


girl 


lady 


carpenter 


lawyer 


uncle 






Use each one of the possessive forms of 
these words in a sentence. 

Write ten sentences, each containing a pos- 
sessive noun in the singular number. 

Change the singular noun to the plural 
form, and rewrite the sentence. 



68. You have already read or made or writ- 
ten a great many sentences. 

Can you tell what a sentence is? 

A Sentence is a collection of words that 
make a finished or completed thought. 

The boy plays. The woman sings. 
The horse runs. The dog bites. 



84 Lessons in Language. 

Which word is the verb in each of these sen- 
tences ? 

Which word is the noun? 

In a sentence the noun that is spoken of is 
called the Subject. 

To find the subject, place who or what before 
the verb. The answer to the question so 
formed will be the subject. Thus: The horse 
runs. What runs? The horse. Horse, there- 
fore, is the subject. 

In a sentence the verb is called the Predi- 
cate. 

To find the predicate, ask what the subject 
does, did or wall do. The answer to the ques- 
tion so formed will be the predicate. Thus: 
The horse runs. What does the horse do? 
Runs. Runs, therefore, is the predicate. 

Every sentence must contain a subject and 
a predicate. 

In the sentences on pages 15 and 16, name 
the noun which is spoken of. 

Name the verb which tells something about 
this noun. 



Lessons in Language. 85 

In the sentences on pages 37, 63 and 64, 
name the predicates and the subjects. 

Write a predicate after each of the follow- 
ing nouns, used as subjects : 

Horses, fish, dogs, kittens, boys, birds, 
girls, wind, fire, water. 

Write a subject before each of the following 
words, used as predicates: 

Beats, drinks, cuts, builds, thinks, swim, 
bark, attend, burns. 

Write ten sentences, and draw a line under 
each subject and each predicate. 



69- With what kind of a letter did you be- 
gin the sentences which you have just written? 

What mark was placed at the end of each of 
them? 

All sentences begin with a capital letter. 
A period must be placed at the end of most 
sentences. 

Write sentences, each containing one of the 
following words: 



86 Lessons in Language. 

Credit, compel, attract, murmur, rejoice, 
separate, deceive, relief, raiment, scissors. 
Mark the subject and the predicate in each. 

The boy runs. The bird flies. 

Are these expressions sentences? Why? 

Does the boy run? Does the bird fly? 

Are these expressions sentences? Why? 
What kind of a mark is used at the end of 
the last two sentences? 

Question-sentences must have the mark ? 
instead of the period placed at the end. 

The mark ? is called the interrogation- 
mark or point. 

Write sentences in the form of questions, 
each containing one of the following words: 

Sponge, world, river, watch, bruise, plague, 
voice, crowd, crown, scowl, quantity, quality, 
regret, reject, tropic, travel, offence, office, 
absence, admire, decide, declare, endure, jus- 
tice, invade, profuse, obtain, sacred. 

Wheat, corn, oats, potatoes and apples are 
grown in the Middle Atlantic States. 

The animals of the Torrid Zone are lions, 



Lessons in Language. 87 

tigers, monkeys, elephants, leopards and hy- 
enas. 

The wild and domestic animals of the Tem- 
perate Zones are bears, foxes, wolves, deer, 
dogs, cats, horses, sheep, cattle and swine. 

What kind of a mark is used after wheat, 
corn, oats, etc.? 

Write the three sentences again in such a 
way that they must be followed by the inter- 
rogation-point. 






70. The pretty bird flew away. 

Which word is the predicate in this sentence? 
Which word is the subject? 
What adjective describes the subject? 
What article limits the subject? 

The words which describe or limit a sub- 
ject are called modifiers of the subject. 

Look at the sentences on pages 15, 16, 37 
and 63. 

If any of the subjects in these sentences 
have modifiers, name the modifiers. 

If they have no modifiers, place one or 
more modifiers before each subject. 



88 Lessons in Language. 

The subject by itself is called the Simple 
Subject. 

The subject taken with its modifiers is 
called the Complete Subject. 

In the sentences you have just examined, 
name the simple subjects and the complete 
subjects. 

The boy ran quickly. 

In this sentence which word is the subject? 
Which word is the predicate? 
Name the adverb in the sentence. 
What does it modify? 

The words which qualify a predicate are 
called modifiers of the predicate. 

Look at the sentences on pages 15, 16, 37 
and 63. 

If any of the predicates in these sentences 
have modifiers, name the modifiers. 

If they have no modifiers, place one or 
more modifiers before or after each predi- 
cate. 

The predicate by itself is called the Simple 
Predicate. 



Lessons in Language. 89 

The predicate taken with its modifiers is 
called the Complete Predicate. 

In the sentences you have just examined, 
name the simple predicate and the complete 
predicate. 

Write ten sentences, each containing a sub- 
ject and a predicate. 

Underscore the subject and the predicate in 
the sentences you have just written. 

Place one or more modifiers before each of 
the subjects in these sentences. 

Place one or more modifiers before or after 
each of the predicates in these sentences. 



71. Fill the blanks in the following sen- 
tences : 

The dog at the stranger. 

The cat the mouse. 

Horses corn and oats. 

eat grass. 

The : . sky is above us. 

The wind blows from the north. 

They sang a 



90 Lessons in L 



essons %n nanguage. 



The brothers called at the , but I 

not in. 



The dog . the rabbit. 

The fierce wind the sails to tatters. 

Come and the new book. 

In the . my brother was hurt. 

The merchandise of the West here 

in cars. 

My in his chair before the 

: and me many strange stories 

of the war. 



72. In the following sentences which words 
are pronounced alike, but spelled differently? 

What is the meaning of each of these words? 

Write them in other sentences. 

Underscore the simple and complete subject 
and the simple and complete predicate in each 
sentence. 

Name the modifiers of the subject. 

Name the modifiers of the predicate. 

A greater man than Washington never lived. 
A nutmeg - grater is very useful in the 
kitchen. 

Though he slay me, yet will I trust him. 

Mary rode to school in the sleigh. 

The sun shone brightly all the morning. 



Lessons in Language. 91 

All the new books were shown gladly to 
the stranger. 

The driver seized the mane of the horse, 
and held on by main strength. 

The visitor to the church was told that the 
bell tolled whenever one of the parish died. 

Enter ye in at the strait gate. 

Moving with a steady gait, he soon disap- 
peared from view. 

Lye is made from wood-ashes. 

It is a mark of cowardice to lie. 

After sealing the letters he sent them to the 
post-office. 

A hornet spied a fly on the ceiling. 

The sailor sees the necessity of being watch- 
ful on the high seas. 

We should seize every opportunity of doing 
good. 

A straight line is the shortest distance be- 
tween two points. 

A strait is a narrow body of water between 
two bodies of land. 

The barrel of flour weighed more than two 
hundred pounds. 

We can wade across the creek in summer- 
time. 

We should do all we can to lessen the 
trouble of others. 



92 



Lessons in Language. 



You should study your lesson until it is 
thoroughly understood. 

Bread is the staff of life. 

A well-bred man is known by his conduct. 

The poor horse, tied to a post on the river's 
bank, was drowned by the in-coming tide. 

Wilful waste makes woful want. 

The soldier wore a belt about his waist. 



73. Write sentences, each containing one of 


e following 


words : 




changed 


crumbled 


trifled 


sceptre 


lustre 


acre 


dwindle 


pickle 


scuffle 


purple 


gentle 


prattle 


brittle 


title 


circle 


vehicle 


horrible 


terrible 


visible 


destroy 


scramble 


feeble 


distinct 


tranquil 


extinguish 


choir 


character 


architect 


century 


avalanche 


insure 


ferocious 


admission 


musician 


ignite 


caution 



Lessons in Language. 



93 



74- Write sentences, each 


containing one of 


;he following 


action-words : 




change 


discharge 


revenge 


scratch 


switch 


patch 


disgrace 


dislike 


dismay 


praise 


cause 


repose 


laugh 


march 


cipher 


crown 


crowd 


scowl 


worship 


journey 


comfort 


wonder 


worry 


copy 


talk 


walk 


knock 


harness 


address 


should 



Write other sentences, each containing one 
Df the same words used as a noun. 



75. Rewrite the following sentences, using 
some other word or expression for the itali- 
cized word : 

Drake circumnavigated the globe. 
A dainty plant is the ivy green. 
Six days shalt thou labor. 
The whole of his empire has not been en- 
tirely subdued. 

The fight will not be dangerous. 

The result will not be doubtfid. 

He permits us to discover no useless truth. 



94 Lessons in Language. 



Life is uncertain. 

Poverty may take the place of ease and 
plenty. 

It is a sad thing to be peevish and fretful. 

Drunkenness expels reason. 

The nation has made immense progress. 

Avoid evil communications. 

The industrious girl was studying her lesson. 

The nests of birds are made with great ex- 
actness. 

Let us improve ourselves. 

We should have considered the consequences. 

The statement cannot be disputed. 



76. Make arithmetical questions of the fol- 
lowing : 

4 miles — rods — yards — feet — inches? 

8000 inches — yards — feet? 

10 square yards — square feet — square 
inches ? 

10,000 square inches — square feet? square 
yds.? 



P£ = ? 


4| yds. = ? 


lbs. -V 8 - = ? 


$3| = ? 


oz. -V- = ? 


20| m. = ? 


gal. ¥■-? 


140| oz. = ? 


h. V- = ? 


12| marks = ? 



Lessons in Language. 



95 



$200 X 15 








$3^ + $7* + $2f = 








$20 - ($2| + $7f 


+ $3i) 






Bushels 18 T 2 3 - 1\ 


bushels. 






(20 lbs. + 17 lbs. + 18 lbs.) - 


— 5 cts. = 




(40 min. + 30 min. + 15 min. 


+ 30 min. 


+ 35 


min.) 3 hrs. — . 









77. What word is exactly opposite in mean- 
ing to each of the following words ? — 



warm 


idle 


short 


bad 


fast 


weak 


dead 


dear 


lose 


soon 


sour 


hate 


clear 


black 


short 


old 


thin 


rough 


mend 


give 


shallow 


light 


forget 


soft 


shut 


straight 


first 


stout 


narrow 


stand 



Use in a sentence each word of the above 
list and each word of the opposite meaning. 



96 Lessons in Language. 



78. The Hawk and the Nightingale. 

A nightingale, sitting afar off upon an oak, 
was seen by a hawk, who made a swoop down 
and seized him. The nightingale earnestly be- 
sought the hawk to let him go, saying that he 
was not big enough to satisfy the hunger of a 
hawk, who ought to pursue the larger birds. 
The hawk said, " I should indeed have lost 
my senses if I should let go food ready to my 
hand for the sake of pursuing birds which are 
not yet even within sight." 

Read the story. 

Tell it, using your own words. 

What is the meaning of the words and expres- 
sions, seen, swoop, earnestly, besought, let him go, 
satisfy, ought, pursue, lost my senses, ready? 

Use these words and expressions in sentences 
of your own. 

Write the story, using other words and expres- 
sions in place of those given. 



79. The Oak and the Reeds. 

A very large oak was uprooted by the wind 
and thrown across a stream. It fell among 
some reeds, whom it thus addressed : " I won- 



Lessons in Language. 97 

der how you, who are so light and weak, are 
not entirely crushed by these strong wdnds." 
They replied, "You fight and contend with 
the wind, and consequently you are destroyed ; 
while we, on the contrary, bend before the least 
breath of air, and therefore remain unbroken." 

Read this story. 

Tell it in your own words. 

What is the meaning of the words and expres- 
sions, uprooted, stream, thus addressed, wonder, 
light, weak, entirely crushed, replied, fight, conse- 
quently, destroyed, on the contrary, least breath of 
air, remain ? 

Use these words and expressions in sentences 
of your own. 

Write the story, using other words and expres- 
sions in place of those given. 



80. The Countryman and the Snake. 

A villager found a snake under a hedge, 
almost dead with cold. He could not help 
having compassion for the poor creature, so 
he brought it home and laid it upon the 
hearth, near the fire. It had not lain there 
long when, being revived by the heat, it began 
to erect itself and fly at his wife and children. 

9 G 



98 Lessons in Language. 

The countryman, hearing an outcry, and per- 
ceiving what was the matter, caught up a mat- 
tock and soon dispatched the snake, upbraiding 
it at the same time in these words : " Is this, 
vile wretch, the reward you make to him that 
saved your life?" 

Read this story. 

Tell it in your own words. 

What is the meaning of the words, villager, 
hedge, compassion, creature, hearth, long, revived, 
erect, fly, outcry, perceiving, matter, mattock, dis- 
patched, upbraiding, vile, reward? 

Use these words in other sentences of your own. 

Write the story, using other words and expres- 
sions in place of those given. 



81. The Lark and her Young Ones. 

A lark had made her nest in the young 
green wheat. The brood had almost grown, 
when the owner of the field, overlooking his 
crop, said, "I must send to all my neighbors 
to help me with my harvest." One of the 
young larks heard him, and asked its mother 
to what place they should move for safety. 
"There is no occasion to move yet," she re- 
plied. The owner of the field came a few 



Lessons in Language. 99 



days later, and said, "I will come myself to- 
morrow, and will get in the harvest." Then 
the lark said to her brood, " It is time now to 
to be off: he no longer trusts to his friends, but 
will reap the field himself." 

Read the story. 

Tell it, using your own words. 

What is the meaning of the words, brood, 
grown, owner, overlooking, neighbors, harvest, safety, 
occasion, replied, later, to be off, trusts, reap? 

Use these words in other sentences of your own. 

Write the story, using other words and expres- 
sions in place of those given. 






82. The Dog* and the Hare. 

A hound, having started a hare on the hill- 
side, pursued her for some distance, at one time 
biting her with his teeth as if he would take 
her life, and at another time fawning upon her 
as if in play with another dog. The hare said 
to him, " I wish you would act sincerely by me, 
and show yourself in your true colors. If you 
are a friend, why do you bite me so hard ? If 
an enemy, why do you fawn on me?" 

Read this story. 

Tell it in your own words. 



100 Lessons in Language. 

What is the meaning of the words and expres- 
sions, started, 'pursued, distance, fawning, sincerely, 
your true colors, friend, enemy, fawn? 

Use these words in sentences of your own 
making. 

Write the story, using other words and expres- 
sions in place of these. 




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